{"name":"Labour market laws in Sweden","title":"Arbetsmarknadens lagar i Sverige","id":"M2A1S2","type":"Content","url":"/join/root/en/jobba-i-sverige/arbetsmarknadens-krav/arbetsmarknadens-lagar-i-sverige/","lastModified":"2017-06-13T09:42:06.0000000+00:00","text":"\u003ch2\u003eLaws and regulations\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSweden\u0027s laws and regulations are largely the same as those throughout the EU. People\u0027s rights and responsibilities are about the same in all EU countries.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are certain fundamental laws that apply to all of Swedish society:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Freedom of the Press Act\u003c/strong\u003e (Tryckfrihetsförordningen in Swedish) states that anyone can publish books, newspapers and magazines without government authorities editing or censoring them.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Fundamental Law on Freedom of Expression\u003c/strong\u003e (Yttrandefrihetsgrundlagen in Swedish) states that everyone has the same right to present their opinions, thoughts and feelings in speech and writing. But you also have the duty not to defame (tell harmful lies about) or insult anyone.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSweden also has \u003cstrong\u003efreedom of religion\u003c/strong\u003e (religionsfrihet), which means that everyone in Sweden has the right to decide for themselves if they want to believe in and practise a religion.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn addition, we have \u003cstrong\u003efreedom of information\u003c/strong\u003e (informationsfrihet), which means that everyone in Sweden has the right to information from the community, and that government authorities have no right to censor that information. There are no restrictions on the Internet.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe also have\u003cstrong\u003e freedom of assembly\u003c/strong\u003e (mötesfrihet), which means that everyone has the right to arrange and attend all kinds of meetings in public places, and the police are not allowed to stop them.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSweden applies the rule of law\u003c/strong\u003e (rättssäkerhet), which means that all residents are equal under the law and that a person is to be treated as innocent until he or she is convicted by a court of law.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe labour market\u0027s laws and regulations\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBesides the above laws, there are additional laws about the labour market. These laws control the relationships between a company and its employees. Here are some laws that can be good to know:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMedbestämmandelagen\u003c/strong\u003e (often abbreviated to MBL) is the Employment (Co-determination in the Workplace) Act, and states that employees at a company have the right to participate in decisions about some things in the workplace; for example, employees have the right to form trade unions.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLagen om anställningsskydd\u003c/strong\u003e (often abbreviated to LAS) is the Employment Protection Act and protects all employees – everyone who works in Sweden – in connection with things like job terminations (which covers when employees are given notice in advance that they will lose their job and when they have to leave their jobs immediately). It also contains rules about employment on a trial basis, periods of notice (the time between when an employer ends your employment and when you have to leave your job) and other forms of employment.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSemesterlagen\u003c/strong\u003e (the Annual Leave Act) states that everyone is entitled to five weeks\u0027 holiday per year and contains regulations about when you can take those days off.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFöräldraledighetslagen\u003c/strong\u003e (the Parental Leave Act) controls the rights of employees who are parents to stay at home with their children for a period of time without losing their jobs. Parents are entitled to parental leave, and the employer has very little right to say no, if the leave is taken correctly.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe law also states how much time parents can stay at home for to take care of their children when they are sick. Parents can take a short time off work to care for their sick children. Thanks to this law, there is even a special expression for this: \"vård av barn\" (caring for child), which is often abbreviated to vab and is now a verb of its own: you vabbar (are vabbing).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMany companies have collective bargaining agreements, which regulate working terms such as what tasks are carried out by a specific position at the company, what forms of employment are used, what wages or salaries apply, what counts as overtime, and more.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn addition to all these laws and agreements, your work is controlled by the employment contract that you and your employer must have signed. The employment contract must also follow the laws. You cannot agree on working conditions that are worse than what is required by law.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou have a responsibility to ensure that your employment contract is correct. To avoid having to know all the laws and regulations yourself, you can join a trade union, which is called a fackförening in Swedish.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnother thing that is good to be aware of is A-kassan, a kind of insurance that will pay you if your income decreases or disappears due to unemployment.\u003c/p\u003e","imageLinks":{"href":"https://cdn-lerniase-images-prod.azureedge.net/96e5bd6701cf4c03b6ebff9e2f616e66/d026325ff603423f827831349aad17f2.jpg?auto=format,compress\u0026s=b365888b7a48755f8eb07175540a9e71","title":"bild"},"videoLinks":null,"siteLinks":[{"href":"http://www.mi.se/kollektivavtal-lagar/den-svenska-arbetsmarknadsmodellen/","title":"The Swedish labor market model"},{"href":"https://www.skatteverket.se/privat/skatter/arbeteochinkomst.4.6a6688231259309ff1f800029092.html","title":"Tax Agency, \"Work and Income\""}],"children":null,"wordExplanations":null}